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Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees

I was commissioned to make a pair of Mike Nesmith-inspired wool hats recently, after somebody saw the one I made for Aidan last year. So here they are. I like these a lot better than Aidan’s, actually, which was done on a loom, and totally improvised.

I improvised these, too, but I’ve got more experience under my belt and had better ideas for how to achieve the look I wanted. So here are the details, in case you have a Monkees lover in your midst:

Pattern: co 80 st in the round, k1 p1 until you have knit for 11 inches, gather bo, make & attach 2-inch pom-pom

P.S. you should still be able to do this with a loom, if you want to. I’d use the yellow one, and do the k1 p1 rib for 11 inches. You might need to double the yarn, given the larger gauge of the loom, though. (The original one I made for Aidan used the knit stitch throughout, worsted weight yarn (doubled), and the green loom, but it really was on the small side, and I think it would have looked better in a rib.)

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About Lisa

I am a polymer clay artist turned fiber addict. I can often be found here at Polka Dot Cottage, writing about my adventures in polymer, fabric, yarn, photography, and everyday life. I live in New Jersey with my husband, two sons, and entirely too many craft supplies.

49 thoughts on “Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees”

HI Lisa! Can you clarify the bind off and gather at the top? Do you bind off all the stitches and then gather them together? Thanks! These hats are great and I can’t wait to make some for the Monkee fans in my house!

Sure. On the last row, instead of binding off, I break the yarn leaving about a 12-inch tail, and then thread that tail onto a tapestry needle. I run the tapestry needle through each of the stitches on the circular needle, pulling them off as I go. Once all of the stitches are safely on the tail, I pull it to gather them.

Thanks for the memory! I love this toque and the memories it provoked — when I was 14/15 I created some scrapbooks of the Monkees and today went looking at the magazine pictures I cut and pasted into the pages… Now, after a trip to micheals for a circular needles I have started a version mike’s hat. i have no idea who will wear it, but just the making is fun…

I know you already said you wouldn’t be making commissions,
but that was a few months ago, and I’d like to ask if you
would make one now?
I’d do whatever I can to make it easier, such as pay for
everything, and ect, ect, ect.
Please e-mail me back at uo59601@yahoo.com

I saw an item on Knitting Paradise that indicated you were looking for knitters to knit the Monkee Hats for customers you were not interested in providing knitted hats for yourself. I would be happy to help them. Have been knitting for 55 years and the pattern is very simple.

Hi! I saw that you were interested in locating knitters for your blog followers who would be willing to knit this hat. I’ve been knitting for over 40 years and would be happy to recreate this hat for your followers The Monkees were one of my favorite acts when I was growing up and think it’s so fun that someone is “bringing them back” with fun items like this!

Hi! I was looking here at your pattern and wanted to know if this would work on a loom with 48 pegs? Oh, and if I should knit 2 pegs then purl another 2, etc. I’m completely new to knitting and using a loom, but I know those two stitches. One more question, if I start on the first peg with a knit stitch, when I have finished the round and begin on the first peg again, do I use the knit stitch on the first for the whole hat? I hope I’m clear on my question, for I don’t know how to word it otherwise.
Oh, and I don’t know if this site will notify me if you reply, so here is my e-mail address: Sammig1993@gmail.com
I’ll be sure to check back, though. Thank you!

Hi! Sorry it took me so long to reply. A 48-peg loom should work. I would knit one peg and then purl one peg, and repeat that pattern. If you knit two and purl two, you’ll end up with a really wide ribbing pattern, and it wouldn’t look quite right for this.

Yes, each time you get back to the beginning of the round, start the K1 P1 pattern again. Since you have an even number of pegs, you really don’t even have to pay attention to the beginning and ends of rounds. Just continue to K1 P1 until you have knit eleven inches.

Or am I supposed to alternate stitches after each round? Like if I start with knit stitch on the first peg, do I purl stitch the first peg after that round? And I think the hat might look funny if I start and end with knit or purl stitches, since there’s an even number. That is why I asked if I need to do k2p2 on this loom I’m using…

Hi, I know this is an old post so I am not sure if you will still reply to comments, but I was just wondering if you could let me know the gauge for the pattern? I can’t get that wool where I am so need to find a suitable alternative. Thank you!

I wish I could help, but I don’t have any of the hats here anymore, and I can’t measure! So sorry.
I did check the Berroco website, and they list the gauge as “3.5 sts = 1 inch / 14 sts & 21 rows = 4 inches” on a #10 needle, so if you found another yarn with this same gauge listed on the label, that should work.
Hope this helps a little!

Thanks. I tried to look up the wool but different sites were listing different size needles, guess I should trust the Berroco website though! It’s chunky weight though I guess. Ok, thanks again, I’ll try and find something!!

Hi! Not sure if you are still checking comments, but is worth a try I wanna make this hat for my husband (he is gonna be so excited! ) and it is my first hat. Question: is the cast on a k1p1? Do you start with an ewrap to come back and do k1p1 on the top row? I hope that makes some sense, I’m still pretty new to loom knitting. Thank you so much!

Hi! I do a regular e-wrap cast-on, and don’t begin the ribbing until after the cast-on row. And to answer your second question, I do a gather bind-off, since decreasing is very tricky with a simple round loom. I hope this helps!